Pilot project to bring 'community navigators' to Iowans at food banks, nonprofits
A new pilot project stemming from the Central Iowa Food Security Plan will create three community navigator positions to link Iowans with food banks and other community services.
The pilot program was announced March 27 at an event providing updates on the communitywide food insecurity reduction plan, which was launched in February 2024 by United Way of Central Iowa and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. The plan called for a united, collaborative response that “aims to address food insecurity equitably, respectfully and with dignity.”
The new community navigator positions will be contracted out by United Way. Luke Lynch, senior community engagement officer with United Way, said the pilot project will last two years, with community navigators working approximately 30 hours a week at food pantries and other community organizations.
“We're hoping to learn together as a community, and then, based on that learning, determine the next steps,” Lynch said.
Navigators will split their time among six organizations, Lynch said. The organizations are:
Global Neighbors, Polk County’s new refugee welcome center
Project IOWA, a nonprofit that offers support and training services to people seeking better careers
DMARC-ket Southside Food Pantry
WeLIFT, an Indianola-based nonprofit; among its services are job readiness skills
Caring Hands, a thrift store and food pantry in Altoona
Johnston Partnership, a food bank in Johnston
The pilot aims to respond to two of the food security plan's goals:
"Offer a welcoming and dignified experience for neighbors in need of food and services through an accessible and connected network of providers in Central Iowa.”
"Tell the story of food insecurity in Central Iowa through an intentional, collaborative and equitable data collection process to better inform service design and decision-making.”
One example of how the navigators might help is helping people enroll in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which Lynch said is a “cumbersome” process. Or maybe someone is eligible for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) support but doesn’t know where to access that.
“OK, well then, let’s get you over to a WIC clinic,” he said.
“... It’s hard when you’re bouncing around from place to place in the community,” Lynch said. “Sometimes, it’s like, ‘I’m just going to find my immediate need.’ But if maybe there’s a few more minutes we can say, ‘Well, what else? What else can we help you with?’ We’re hopeful that would be helpful.”
A new pilot project stemming from the Central Iowa Food Security Plan will create three community navigator positions to link Iowans with food banks and other community services.
The pilot program was announced March 27 at an event providing updates on the community-wide food insecurity reduction plan, which was launched in February 2024 by United Way of Central Iowa and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. The plan called for a united, collaborative response that “aims to address food insecurity equitably, respectfully and with dignity.”
The new community navigator positions will be contracted out by United Way. Luke Lynch, senior community engagement officer with United Way, said the pilot project will last two years, with community navigators working approximately 30 hours a week at food pantries and other community organizations.
“We’re hoping to learn together as a community, and then, based on that learning, determine the next steps,” Lynch said.
Navigators will split their time among six organizations, Lynch said. The organizations are:
Global Neighbors, Polk County’s new refugee welcome center.
Project Iowa, a nonprofit that offers support and training services to people seeking better careers.
DMARC-ket Southside Food Pantry.
WeLift, an Indianola-based nonprofit; among its services are job readiness skills.
Caring Hands, a thrift store and food pantry in Altoona.
Johnston Partnership, a food bank in Johnston.
The pilot aims to respond to two of the food security plan’s goals to connect Central Iowans needing food and services to an accessible network of providers and to use an “intentional, collaborative and equitable data collection process” to improve services and decision-making.
The Greater Des Moines area has experienced record levels of food insecurity and increases in demand for services in recent years. In Central Iowa (Polk, Dallas and Warren counties), 9.7% of the population faces food insecurity, while the rate for children is 14.3%, the plan says.
“We aim to amplify the narratives of individuals facing food insecurity in Central Iowa and to create an empowering and equitable experience for our neighbors seeking assistance,” the plan says.
The community navigators can help with things like enrolling in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which Lynch said is a “cumbersome” process. Or maybe someone is eligible for Women, Infants and Children support but doesn’t know where to access that.
“OK, well then, let’s get you over to a WIC clinic,” he said as an example.
“It’s hard when you’re bouncing around from place to place in the community,” Lynch said. “Sometimes, it’s like, ‘I’m just going to find my immediate need.’ But if maybe there’s a few more minutes we can say, ‘Well, what else? What else can we help you with?’ We’re hopeful that would be helpful.”
The pilot project is supported by Nationwide Foundation, Principal and Prairie Meadows, but an organizer declined to say how much the program will cost.
Project Iowa Executive Director Julie Fugenschuh said the nonprofit has had a role similar to a navigator for the past year called a rooted coach. The coach worked at the Urbandale Food Pantry and the DMARC-ket Southside Food Pantry, she said.
“We know that food insecurity is a piece of the puzzle but we also know that there are lots of other things that are impacting individuals besides food,” Fugenschuh said.
Some of the lessons learned from the rooted coach were to build trust with individuals seeking help and with staff, to be consistent and reliable and talk to people about their aspirations, not just their needs, she said.
“The other really important thing to us has been to hire someone with lived experience,” she said. “I think they bring a whole different persona to what’s happening. There’s no judgment about people being food insecure, because they’ve been food insecure at some point in their life.”
Lynch said other goals of the food security plan center around convening advocates and implementing informed policy solutions.
“One of the things we heard is a need to lock arms around policy and move forward together,” he said.
For example, a “wide array of folks” are behind the current effort to secure state funding for the Double Up Food Bucks program, he said.
Double Up Food Bucks is a health incentive where individuals are encouraged to use SNAP benefits to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. For every dollar they spend on a fresh fruit or vegetable, they earn a dollar, up to $15, said Jami Haberl, executive director of Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Iowans live healthy lives. SNAP users can use the benefit at participating grocery stores, farmers’ markets, farm stands and community-supported agriculture farms, she said.
It launched as a pilot program in 2016; last year just over 5,000 people used the program, Haberl said.
Up to this point, it has been paid for by a mix of federal funding through the USDA’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, and private sector donations through grants and other sponsorships, Haberl said.
She said advocates have been working for several years to get state funding to help pay for the program. This year, they are seeking $1 million.
“They are working through the appropriation bill right now,” she said. “So hopefully we’ll see positive outcomes this legislative session.”
The state funding would help fulfill a match requirement for the federal funding, she said.
The Double Up Food Bucks program offers a triple win, she said.
“It supports local farmers who are growing produce here in the state of Iowa,” she said. “It supports Iowa-owned and -based grocery stores. … It really provides the opportunity for people to access our fresh fruits and vegetables, which is really critical to all of our overall health and wellness.”